Papiliorama - Nocturama

The glass roof of the Nocturama hall in the Papiliorama. The Nocturama is a quite unique nocturnal house consisting of a glass dome almost 40 meters in diameter and 14 meters tall. Its translucid roof filters daylight approximately a thousand times, thus creating an artificial moonlight.

The Nocturama houses several species of Central American animals, including several breeding groups of lowland pacas (Cuniculus paca) and Brazilian porcupines (Coendou prehensilis).

Papiliorama, July 2010.

this is a fascinating exhibit. If I have understood this correctly, it is a single walk-through nocturnal exhibit with additional enclosures within it? The means they have used to create the "night period" is one I have never heard of before, but it seems a very elegant method (and, I should imagine, more cost-efficient in the long run). Do they have it lighted at night (actual night) so the animals have a day period as well?

Chlidonias said:

this is a fascinating exhibit. If I have understood this correctly, it is a single walk-through nocturnal exhibit with additional enclosures within it? The means they have used to create the "night period" is one I have never heard of before, but it seems a very elegant method (and, I should imagine, more cost-efficient in the long run).

Click to expand...

Fascinating is indeed the right word here. I have never heard of anything other like this and seeing the Nocturama was my main reason for visiting the Papiliorama. And you have understood it correctly. The only free-ranging animals in here are the douroucoulis and bats, though they put on quite a show! People than 180 cm. will have to mind their heads when walking through the "Bat Cave" or they will graze the bats hanging from the sealing (even though the bats will probably graze you at some point).

Chlidonias said:

Do they have it lighted at night (actual night) so the animals have a day period as well?

Click to expand...

I am not sure, but I would imagine so. That is what it seems to say on their website. However, plants to not seem to grow in there which is a shame and they really ought to invest in more fake trees to give the visitors a more wholesome experience (since it is so dark in there you can't tell the difference between real or fake anyway).

@Chlidonias: Yes, it is indeed fascinating. And yes, it will be lighted at night.

For your information: Papiliorama and Nocturama aka Swiss Tropical Gardens is a complex with 3 tropical domes (Papiliorama, Nocturama and Jungle Trek). It is (beside a petting zoo) a complete indoor-zoo and is settled in Kerzers, a small town about 40 driving-minutes away from Berne.
The first dome shows butterflies from Tropical America, Africa, Australia and South East Asia, one species of kolibri, some fishes as well as (in a seperate room) some other invertebrates like scorpions, bird-eating spiders and phasmids.
The second dome shows nocturnal animals (some of them free ranging) like coendus, two-toed sloths, ocelots, caimans, green anacondas, 2 or 3 species of bats, douroucoulis, armadillos and some larger fishes.
In the third dome you can find about a dozen of free flying species of birds (among them toucans), tayras, collared pecaries, white-nosed coatis and some reptiles.

All in all I can recommend this zoo everyone who is visting (Western-) Switzerland.

should I ever happen to be in Switzerland, I think I shall have to visit this place just to see the Nocturama in person

Chlidonias said:

should I ever happen to be in Switzerland, I think I shall have to visit this place just to see the Nocturama in person

Click to expand...

And until such a time I have now almost completed my virtual tour of the Papiliorama here in the Gallery